Loopholes Aren't Just for Sails
by lorass
Summary: Her father wants her to be wed, but Moana doesn't want to be tied to the ground. A brilliant scheme hatched by she and Maui is set to benefit everyone, or maybe Moana's just oblivious to the supernatural.
1. Chapter 1 (08-03 10:02:23)

"I have to what?!" Moana asked her father, incredulous, as her headdress was fitted onto her head. Tui crossed his arms, his eyes flicking for a moment to Moana's mother, Sina, who was adjusting the piece atop the young Chief-in-training's skull. Hei-hei pecked at the dirt nearby, about six centimeters from a pile of seed. Pua watched him with a bored expression.

"Get married. And that's final." He told her, straightening his chest jewelry. "Moana you can not be named Chief until you are married. It isn't my rule, it is our ancestors. Even our voyagers married young. It kept our people multiplying. To discover more islands and populate more earth." His voice has lowered and become more pitying than forceful, but that only drove Moana to a new level of angry.

"What if I refuse to be married?"

"Well, then I suppose...eventually...when you have bastard children..."

"What if I don't have children?"

Her mother's hands paused on a braid, while her father seemed to deflate. She crossed her arms defiantly, feeling victorious. Her mother slowly resumed braiding her hair, but she wasn't being quite as gentle.

"You have to have children. It is not optional."

"No I do not. If I never find a "suitor,"" she emphasized with air quotes, "and I never become pregnant, then what will happen?"

Tui glared hard at her, opening the door of her hut. "Then our island...our people...die." He left abruptly, leaving a hard knot behind in Moana's chest.

Sina sighed, tucking the last strand behind Moana's ear and coming around to face her. She held both of her hands and smiled sadly down at her little girl. "You know I have always sided with you when your father is being unreasonable. But this time, I am afraid he is correct, my little minnow. If you do not bear a child there will be no next chief, no order, and no law. Our people have depended on our family for thousands of years. Are you going to be the one to let them down?"

Sina stood, straightening her skirts. "You are 21 today. All of the villagers born in your year are long since married, some with children. Think about that today, Moana."

Moana managed to go the entire day without thinking about marriage or babies or chiefdom. She didn't even notice the whispers and longing gazes she provoked from men of every age as she strutted around in her tight floral skirt and tiny floral top. She mostly just spent time with her mother, ignoring her father, and watching Hei-hei fall off of a rock every time someone put him back. Pua stayed by Moana's side, happily gobbling scraps of fruit and meat.

The feast concluding Moana's birthday celebration was nothing short of breathtaking. There were flowers blooming in every color and hue, every size, shape, and aroma, as if Te Fiti herself had placed her hand on Montenui today. But as beautiful as the flora on her island was, there was only one place she felt truly at peace.

She had shucked her celebration garments at her hut after the feast, leaving only a small red top and a white cloth skirt. As a matter of fact, it was the same red top she wore almost daily, but she filled it out much more than she did before. Her hips were much wider, leaving one to wonder how exactly her clothes stayed on when she was constantly running from one end of the island to the other.

For now, she ran to the beach. The air growing cooler and saltier the closer she made it to the shore. Giddiness bubbled in her core and exploded out of her throat with a howl. She made it to the obsidian sand stage, where her grandmother taught her to dance with the eater so many years ago. She said a quick hello to the sting rays before cutting a left and heading straight for the canoes.

Just as she was untying hers from its dock, she froze, remembering what her father said to her this morning. "Happy Birthday, Moana. Pay special attention to the young men in the village today, because you have to marry one of them soon." She slumped, falling into the sand, her hair falling into her face. "I don't think a single Montenui boy has ever interested me." She mused aloud.

"What's that, Princess?"

"MAUI!"

Moana jumped to her feet, spinning on her heel and jumping into the arms of her best friend, who hugged her tight and spun her around like she weighed nothing. To him, she practically did. You see, he was a demi-god; one who possessed supernatural strength, magical tattoos, and silky hair.

"What's this about boys? Aren't you like, eight?" he asked her. She laughed, though there was a hint of sadness to the sound. "Nothing. Just thinking out loud."

Maui shrugged, "Whatever you say, Princess. Here! Got ya somethin'." He handed her a closed oyster, polished and painted to look like the heart of Te Fiti they had returned together so long ago. She opened it, and inside was a small hook...carved intricately to match Maui's large one exactly. She didn't realize she was crying until she could no longer see the trinket in her hands.

"Maui...this is..."

"Happy 21st, kid."

She laughed, instead of retorting "I'm not a kid" as she usually did, she just fell back into his arms. He held her tightly, letting her cry. Though eventually, happy tears bled into anguished ones, and Maui recognized the change immediately.

"Hey hey hey, what's up birthday girl?"

She sniffed,wiping her wet face on the back of her hand. "It's my father. Well, it's my whole village really. I am expected to be married. Soon. And have children. I know that isn't what I want, but I have no choice! And I don't know what to do besides marry a man I don't love and have his children I don't want, and..."

"I know what to do." Maui stood, offering Moana his hand. She took it, and she allowed him to hoist her over his shoulder.

"Whoa...Maui where are we going?"

"Away."


	2. Chapter 2

The morning she returned to Montenui after her courageous voyage across the sea and back, her parents cleared a path for her to walk straight to her hut and sleep. It was approximately high noon when her aching head hit the pillow, and she did not open her eyes again until Dawn.

On the third day.

She awoke feeling stiff, the salt on her skin felt gritty against her aching body and stiff joints. She spent the following four days recovering, sharing the stories of her journey with the children, and even some adults, all of whom hung onto her every word the way they did with her grandmother when she was the village storyteller.

On the eighth day, she began to miss Maui.

Somehow, the cocky, incorrigible demi-god had snuck his way into her heart and settled there, causing an ache whenever Moana thought of him. She tried to call for him, but he had never told her how she could. She tried screaming across the ocean, "MAUI, SHAPESHIFTER, DEMIGOD OF THE WIND AND SEA, HERO TO ALL, YOU WILL COME TO MY ISLAND!" But that didn't do anything more than scare a few seagulls.

Then she tried asking nicely, and that didn't work either. She lit a fire, as a beacon, drawing his fish hook in the ash on the dirt. That didn't work either. She tried a hundred different summons and then she tried a hundred more, and Maui never showed.

On her seventeenth birthday, she saw him. He flew overhead in the form of a brightly colored Macaw and landed gracefully in the sand, a scroll of paper clamped in his beak. She took it, and he flew off. "No! Maui!" She called after him, but he did acted as if he didn't hear her.

"Dear Princess,

I know what you're thinking. Why didn't I stay? Why didn't I come when you called? Why haven't I visited sooner? Well, it's kind of complicated. And I wish I could explain it to you, but you're young right now.

And before you get all huffy, and princess-y, I don't mean that in a condescending way. You just are.

Happy birthday, Moana. I'll see you later.

-Maui"

Moana clutched the letter in her fists, reading it over and over again, her face darkening with chagrin. He had heard her? And didn't come? He knew her birthday?

She wasn't as upset at being told she was young as she probably could have been. After all when you're thousands of years old, everyone is young. But she knew that couldn't be what he meant. Still, she folded the netter and placed it inside of her grandmother's locket.

"I'll see you later."

When?

After that day, Maui visited her on every birthday, and even stayed and chatted for a few days with the villagers. He went fishing with the fishermen and caught hundreds of fish, and went fruit picking and came back with hundreds of fruit. Maui attributed it to Te Fiti's heart being restored, but Moana knew better. Maui was using his powers.

When he left, the goodbye hug he gave Moana was sad. As if it hurt him to imagine letting go. "I missed you." He whispered.

Moana closed her eyes. "I missed you too. Why don't you visit more often?"

Maui stepped away from her, looked at her as if he were about to answer, and then shifted into an eagle, soaring high above the ocean before Moana could stop him. She watched him go, tears in her eyes, the flowers he had picked for her still wrapped in her fist.

When Moana turned nineteen, Maui returned, a glass bottle of some liquid in hand. "This doesn't affect me the way it does you humans, but I thought I'd have a celebratory drink with you!" They drank until Moana was hiccupping, her eyes half-lidded and her cheeks rosy. She kept clinging to Maui's side, never letting him get so much as a grain of sand between them.

"Why don't you come see me more oft…hic…ten?" Moana giggled, laying her head in his lap. Maui distractedly played with her hair, meditating on his answer for a moment. He looked down at her with a solemn expression, his fingertips massaging her scalp as she hummed happily, oblivious to his emotions. She took a drink from the bottle,smacking her lips.

"Do you know how a human becomes a demigod?" He asked her, looking away. She shook her head, hiccuping again. "He has to have a pure and selfless heart. Nothing he does, or says, or thinks can be for personal gain. Do you understand?" She nodded, even in her inebriated state, she knew he wasn't done. She took another swig from the bottle. This stuff tasted great

"Do you think falling in love is selfish?"

The next thing she knows she's waking up in her hut, the bouquet Maui had given her the year prior still alive as ever on her night stand. No memory of their conversation at all.

Her twentieth birthday Maui didn't show up at all. She waited, from dawn til dusk, and even called out to him. Nothing. She fell asleep in the sand, tears still wet on her face. She never saw the sand crab that sat nearby, watching her, pacing, as if deciding whether or not to comfort her. After a while, it crawled into the water, turned into a shark, and left.

"Maui I can't just leave." She reasoned as he set her onto a canoe and unwound the rope from its dock. "I have an obligation to my people. I don't want to marry or bear children, but I do want to lead them. If it weren't for me they would have never sailed beyond the reef. They need me!"

Maui snorted, pushing the canoe into the water. "No, they need a robotic little doll they can force to act however they want, and then complain about when she steps out of line–"

"They aren't like that!"

Maui ignored her, dropping the sheet and blowing directly into the sail, sending them soaring through the waves. Moana had to admit, the rush of being on the open ocean again with Maui buy her side was exhilarating. But she knew this wasn't just a trip for him. He was sincerely taking her away.

"We didn't bring any food." She mused, raising her eyebrow. Maui didn't look at her. "Don't worry about that. I'll take care of you, Princess." The way he said it sent a pleasant heat through her, and for a fleeting moment, she wondered if the idea of marriage wasn't so bad if she thought of her best friend as her husband.

She gasped suddenly, causing Maui to jump into a defensive stance, hook at the ready. Moana laughed, "No, no–listen. What if you married me!"

Maui lowered his hook, spinning around to face her slowly. "Say again?"

"If you marry me, I won't be wed to some man I don't like, and I get to stay on Montenui!"

"And what about me? I have demigod duties to attend to."

"You can do them! It would just be a formality. Nothing would change between us, and everyone wins!"

"Not interested."

He turned back around to face the open sea, his shoulders tense. Mini-Maui climbed to his back to face Moana, shrugging his shoulders to mirror her confusion.

"Why not?"

He ignored her.

"I'll just keep asking."

"Drop it."

His tone was aggressive. Angry.

"I don't understand what I said wrong..."

"Marriage isn't supposed to be some...scheme. Marriage is a sacred union blessed by gods. You humans got it all twisted up."

Moana blinked, holding her oar behind her back nervously. "I...I didn't know this was so important to you."

"Yeah? Me neither."

Maui's hook suddenly jumped, blue electricity surging through it as if it were struck by some godly lightning. Woth a deep, resounding 'CRIIIICKACK,' a clean, black crack spread its way down the length of the handle.

"No. No, no, no no I didn't. I didn't do anything!" Maui held it gingerly in his palms and sank to his knees.

"What happened?"

Moana placed her hand gingerly on Maui's shoulder, stroking his shoulder blade with her thumb. He leaned against her hand for half a second before brushing her hand away. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Moana took her hand back, her eyes brimming with tears as Maui's rejection washed over her. "I'm...sorry." She whispered, sitting down on the side of the canoe, her feet submerged in the salty sea.

The tears that fell mixed into the ocean gracefully.


	3. Chapter 3

After an hour of a mutual silent treatment between her and Maui, Moana decided to speak. She turned to face him, and was met with the wide, toned span of his dark-skinned back. His tattoos caught sunlight as they danced with his muscles, mesmerizing Moana for far too long. Mini-Maui caught her attention, his little inked eyebrows raised curiously. Moana shook her head and cleared her throat, and watched as Maui's shoulders immediately tensed.

"I'm not sure why we're mad at each other. You only come around once a year, and we're spoiling it by being upset. I thought you brought me onto the ocean to talk about how to fix things. Not make me feel worse."

Maui's shoulders dropped. Then the oar. He turned around, and as he faced her, the Ocean raised up as it often did to watch their interaction. Maui met her eyes, and the intensity in them shocked her.

"I don't know either. I apologize for my reaction earlier. It was...immature of me. After some thought, I believe giving myself to your island as your husband is the best thing for everyone. You will be married and please your people, you will be crowned Chief and your life will continue as normal, and there's no...there's no downside for me at all." He forced out, ducking his eyes. Moana's eyebrow shot up, but before she could question him, he got down on his knee.

Her knees began to quake, and Maui looked up into her face again. His eyes as wide as the ocean and the color of wet sand, he took a deep breath.

Moana interrupted him.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but that's not how it works."

Maui's brows furrowed and he grunted. He jumped to his feet,rocking their canoe. "What do you mean that's not how it works? I've seen this done a million times!"

Moana was shaking her head before he even finished. "That's how an engagement works, yes. But I'm not the chief yet. I am the Chief's daughter. And there are rules to courting me."

"Such as?"

"Well...you have to court me."

"Court you?" He asked humorously, as if he was expecting Moana to say 'just kidding.'

She didn't.

"So we have to parade around the island, pretending to fall in love and all that jazz before we shove cake in each other's faces and call it a deal? How long will that take?"

Moana shrugged. "It depends how quickly you win my father's trust. It could be months...years..."

"WHAT?!"

"Sorry I didn't realize what an inconvenience this would be for you. Forget it." Moana spat. Maui snorted, rolling his eyes. "Could you stop being a princess for five minutes, we still have kinks to work out."

"I'm not...How am I being...UGH!" She threw up her hands, causing her top to slip a bit down her chest. Maui ogled her for all of half a second before averting his gaze.

"Your uh...your top there..."

"Yeah yeah. You act like you've never seen breasts before. Half the island has seen mine and no one has blushed before."

"I'm not blushing!"

"Right. Your cheeks always have that rosy feverish glow." She teased, pulling up her top.

"ANYWAY!" Maui roared, stomping his foot and throwing his hands out, "Kinks, remember? I have things to do. A thousand years is a long time for things to go wrong. I have a lot of broken things to fix. I can't be out of commission for 'months maybe years.'"

"What's a few years next to a thousand? And if you recall, it was YOUR fault you were on that island without your hook in the first place."

"Yeah...you're right. But when I became a demigod I was sworn to always be a hero to mankind. Womankind. All...everyone." He corrected. "I can't do that if I'm playing house with you."

"Do you sleep?"

"What?"

"Do you sleep? I mean at night."

"No...not as often as mortals do. I take a cat nap now and then..."

"Then court me during the day, and do your demigod stuff at night. Problem solved."

"Moana I have an entire world to take care of. I cant be limited to an eight hour allowance."

"Then just forget it. It was a stupid idea."

Maui didn't reply as he set the oar back into the water and turned the boat around, set sail for Montenui. Moana sat down with her knees drawn ho to her chest, watching the water chop the front of the boat, spraying her with a salty mist.

When they reached the shore, the sun was beginning to rise in the east, casting pink and orange sparkles against the Ocean's surface. A large sting ray swam in circles in the lagoon by the black rock on the east side of the island. Moana blew her a kiss and the ray waved in her direction before disappearing.

Maui watched the exchange wordlessly, tying the boat off and stepping onto the sand. He offered Moana his hand, who graciously accepted. Smiling kindly at him. "So...I guess you'll be going?"

"Not yet." He answered, trudging up towards the village, his hook rested on his shoulder. Moana watched him curiously for a moment before jogging after him.

"We keep the food towards the west side. You're not going the right way." She told him, but he didn't slow down or turn. He marched right into the center of the village and sat down by the fire pit, still wet from the night before's extinguishing.

Moana sat beside him, silently. They sat together, silently,u til the village began to stir.

"Moana?" Sina called sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "What are you doing up so early? And who might this be?"

Maui stood up, leaving his hook at his feet. He extended a hand. "I am Maui, shapeshifter. Demigod of the wind and sea, her to all." He flashed a wide grin and Sina blushed slightly. "Maui? The demigod? The one who helped my Moana on her voyage? What brings you to Montenui?"

Tui was not far behind her, sleep still crusting his eyes. "What brings you here, demigod? Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes sir, there is." Maui proclaimed, glancing at Moana where she sat stock-still, watching the exchange.

"I would like to ask your permission to court Moana."


	4. Chapter 4

Moana spent that night in the beach, her feet buried in the sand and her chin resting between her knees, hugging her legs tight. The Ocean didn't rise to greet her as it usually did, but she knew it was paying attention. It always was.

Her sand-colored dress was barely opaque enough to not be transparent, but it was light and cool and perfect for cool nights such as this one. The strapless top was comfortable, and the ankle length bottom blew gracefully in the breeze. A small sand crab peddled up to her, then back down into its burrow.

"I thought I might find you here."

She jumped, surprised that Maui was able to sneak up on her. She must have really zoned out. She smiled up at him, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Hey, you " She greeted, turning back to stare at the sea.

He sat down beside her,leaving enough space between them so they didn't touch, but she felt heat radiating from his skin like he was the sun itself. She'd never noticed how warm he was before, and she couldn't help but to lean in.

"Really surprised you there today, huh?" He asked, a hand coming to rest on the back of his neck as he chuckled. Moana nodded, laughing lightly as well. "You did. I'm almost certain my chin could have reached the ground. My father's too!"

Maui laughed a bit more heartily, "Yeah your old man looked like he wasn't believing his ears. Then he forgot how to speak! I thought we were gonna be standing there all day. Or at least until I was thrown off the island by enraged villagers."

Moana snorted. "My people are peaceful. They wouldn't do that just because you asked to court me. Besides, my father was just shocked because no one had asked to court me yet. He said I'm too….intimidating. I should be more approachable."

Maui huffed, "Pa-sha. You should be intimidating! You delivered Maui across the great sea," he spread his arms wide, gesturing to the ocean, "and restored the heart of Te Fiti all by yourself! No man can measure up to that! Well…except one." He grinned his usual cocky grin and raised his eyebrow, and that same strange heat as before swept through her.

"Oh, you mean the one who stole the heart of Te Fiti?"

"For YOU!"

"No one asked you to do all that."

Maui pouted dramatically, and Moana put her hand on his knee affectionately. "If it weren't for you stealing the heart in the first place, we would have never met. That's something, right?"

He smiled, covering her hand with his. "Right."

They sat that way in silence for some time. Watching the waning moon make its way through the stars and over the horizon. Moana stretched out her legs, flexing her toes to clear them of most of the sand that had packed onto the tops of her feet. The same crab scuttled out again, only to turn right back around. Moana watched it peek its little beady eyes out of its nest at her.

"So, how is it that you came to the decision to court me? Don't you have hero stuff to do?" She asked him, raising her eyebrow and turning to look at him.

Maui shrugged, "I'm sure its covered. They had it handled for a thousand years without me, what's a few more?"

Moana's eyes widened. "They?"

"Other gods. Demi-gods. Spirits. Fae."

"There are others? Other than the gods I mean. I know about them."

Maui chuckled. "Not all of them, princess. Of course there's more. You really thought one guy could take care of the whole world all the time? I may have magic, but I'm only one man. The world is a giant place. With lots of gods, and men, and everything in between. I don't even know all of them."

Moana was starstruck, sitting upon her knees and facing Maui like she did to her grandmother when she was a tot, years ago when she told the children of the village the stories of their people. "Tell me about them."

So Maui did. Telling her of a woman who died and became an immortal tree, and a man who was born a god but lost his powers until he did something heroic, and a boy who became a bear and lived out his life taking care of a cub whose mother was killed by his brother. It all fascinated her so much, she didn't notice the rising sun to the East.

Neither of them realized they were still holding hands.

Moana stood up, looking towards the brightening horizon. "Is it daylight already? Today is coconut day. Are you going to help?"

Maui didn't think he needed to ask his question….but Moana didn't explain. So he did.

"What in the world is coconut day?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. We pick coconuts during the morning, when the trees are still soft from the dew. Then we take them back to the village where our mothers and grandmothers husk them and separate them. We drain the water into jugs, carve the meat onto cooking fires, and pull the fibers to make fishing nets."

Maui looked at her unblinking for a moment before standing up and stretching his back, his spine singing a cacophony of pops. "Alright. Show me the coconuts."

Moana walked him to a tree on the edge of their grove, just a few paces from where they spent the night. He cracked his knuckles and smacked the tree with an open palm, and then caught six coconuts in one arm as they fell to the ground.

"And all I gotta do is pick 'em?"

"Uh….yeah and take them over there." She pointed to the clearing between all of the chief's and chief's family's huts where women were already crafting quilts and tapestries. Maui nodded, walking quickly through the trees to where Moana couldn't keep up if she tried. "Catch you later…and great first date!"

Moana stopped short, looking towards where Maui was disappearing. First date? Is that what that was? That hadn't felt any more intimate than the nights they shared on the canoe when she was 16. She was about to get going towards the village to help with the day's tasks when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "I noticed you didn't come home last night."

"Mom! Well,I was just down by the ocean and lost track of--"

Sina chuckled, her hand trailing down Moana's arm to grasp her hand. "You don't need to explain anything to me, my little minnow. I see the way you look at him. With the same power that your voice has when you speak of him. He really is something."

Moana's cheeks were dark red as they padded up the sand and onto the soil, where they met with the rest of the village women trailing in.

"What's got you that color, Cheifling? Is it that man?" An elderly woman asked her, eyes shining like polished brass.

"Well,I--"

"Ooooh, that Maui? He's dreamy, isn't he?" A woman about Moana's age chided, a baby on her hip. "If my husband looked like that, I'd have about ten of these little tots already."

The women all laughed and continued talking the demigod up while Moana tried desperately to distract herself with work. At one point, falling asleep with needle and thread in her hands.

"You go onto bed, dear. We all know that Maui had you up allllllll night last night."

More giggles. Moana blushed darker.

"It wasn't like that! We just talked!"

A woman behind Sina chirped, "Oh please, Moana. We are all adults. We know what "talking" is. Why, that's how I conceived my son."

Moana didn't argue. She stood, kissing her mother on the cheek and apologized for having to take the day off. Her mother eaved her off, winking. "You tell Maui you have responsibilities on this island. He can't have you all to himself just yet."

Moana didn't reply as she made her way towards her hut. She pulled back the tapestry covering her door and found Maui lounging on her bed, making it dip all the way to the floor.

"Oh! Hey, Princess. We got done early so I'm taking a break before they start fishing."

"You're...done? You picked all of the coconuts from all of the trees?"

"Every last one of 'em, yup."

"All of them. On the eastern side? And the small grove behind the mountain?"

"Yes ma'am. We even stopped for lunch."

"But...that takes all day!"

"No, it takes mortals all day. I had an entire grove done in ten minutes. Multiple that by four, take away twenty minutes for lunch, and about ten to get to each grove, and it adds up. I've been waiting here for you for almost an hour."

Moana shook her head, smiling. She couldn't believe how well Maui was getting along with his new role. Even if it was for pretend, he sure was putting in a lot of effort. His skin was still glistening with sweat, and she could smell coconut and wildflowers permeating off of him like a cologne. She didn't realize she was falling over until Maui was suddenly there, holding her steady.

"You need to sleep, kid. I'll come get you for dinner. Rest now."

Moana was already drifting when Maui tucked her in, and his face was the last thing she saw before falling into a blissful sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months as the island fell into a comfortable rhythm to accommodate Maui. His presence was a spectacle at first, and he took every opportunity thrown at him to flash his bright smile, or flex his large muscles. Moana would giggle as mini-Maui rolled his tiny inked eyes, making 'here we go again' gestures to amuse mini-Moana beside him. Mini-Moana wasn't as animated as mini-Maui, Moana noticed. Perhaps it took time to learn how to work your limbs and transport when you were two-dimensional. But in the three months that Maui spent cleaning coconut trees of their fruit, catching fish in his whale mouth, and re-telling the tale of the great Battle at Te Ka to the village children, the village had learned to treat him as nothing more than another villager. A friend. A brother.

It was a particularly cool afternoon. There were no rain clouds in sight, but the villagers could smell the impending storm rolling across the waves, dousing their small island with the aroma of fresh water and electricity. A relaxing breeze wafted between the fruit trees and flowers, making the island smell like a heavy perfume of coconut, mango, and hibiscus. The flora had thickened so much in recent years that trails and clearings had to be re-cleared, and often times there was so many excess fruits and flowers that the women of the village had gotten creative. Herbal teas, and thick medicinal pastes were made from flowers and leaves while pulpy juices and dye were made from the fruits. Thanks to Te Fiti, Moana's chief robes were more colorful than ever before, striking golds and soft reds made up the outfit while deep, seductive scarlets , sunset pinks, and burning orange dyed the feathers and seashells that made her new head dress.

Today she wore a leaf-green top and a short, hip-hugging sea-blue wrap. It wasn't the most conservative thing she owned, however everything else was in a pile at the foot of her bed, begging to be washed in the pond. She was helping to secure the posts of someone's home when she heard a chuckle beneath her. She looked down to see Maui with his hand in front of his eyes, looking to the side. "You might wat to invest in some kind of underclothing if you're going to be above eye-level. Moana furrowed her brow, jumping down as gracefully as a jungle cat.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm only saying, if you don't want the entire village to see your nethers, you should keep them covered up."

Moana rolled her eyes, "I think every villager older than 30 has changed at least one of my diapers. I'm sure seeing my 'nethers' won't spook them too much. Besies, until we hit puberty, most kids dont bother with clothes at all."

As if on cue, a small gaggle of toddlers ran by the opening of the building, all of them nude save for a seashell necklace or flower in their hair.

"You're not exactly a child, though."

"Seriously, what's with the sudden interest? Worried my 'nethers' will run off and marry someone else while you aren't looking?"

"I just might be. They are very nice nethers."

Moana blushed, and Maui, realizing what he'd said, covered up the moment with a cocky smile. She rolled her eyes, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Nope. Done."

"Fishing?"

"Done."

"Juicing papaya?"

"Done."

"Rotating the spits?"

"Not a thing, unless you're trying to throw me by making some bad cooking joke, how do you think I survived on that island for a thousand years? I don't eat raw fish."

Moana glanced up as the wind changed direction, and where sunny skies once were, deathly black clouds were moving in fast. She heard the distant voices of mothers calling their children and fisherman tying their boats. She ran to the door and looked across the island at her hut, tapestries flapping in the wind. "We need to get to our huts as fast as possible. The storm will be here in a minute or two I'm guessing. I can hear rain pounding on the ocean."

"My hut is across the island!"

"Can't you turn into something faster?"

"Do you see my hook?"

"Without anyone securing your hut it could fly off!"

"I could build another one in less time than it takes to get there on foot. Can't we just stay here?"

"Not a good idea. Smaller huts are safer. Just come with me to mine, we don't have time to argue."

They made a mad dash for Moana's hut, which was right next door to the meeting hall she had been fixing, and it wasn't until her hand reached the door frame that large, painful drops began to pummel them from above. Moana checked her posts and fronds, making sure they were as secure as they could be before sitting cross-legged on the floor, gesturing for Maui to join her.

"It seems odd that I've been here for a quarter of a year and this is the first big storm I've seen." Maui noted, watching as the curtain of rainfall made seeing the horizon from Moana's door impossible. Which reminded Moana to close the door, reaching up to untie the heavy hemp thread that kept the tapestry rolled up. As it rolled down, her grandmother's caricature of Maui greeted them. She heard him snort beside her.

"Is that really how Tala saw me?"

"Ha, yeah she wasn't exactly one of your fan...you know her name?"

Maui's eyes widened, and he cleared his throat.

"So when the storm passes, wanna go out on the oce--"

"Come on Maui, how did you know her?"

Maui shrugged, looking at the floor.

"Maui. I'll just keep asking."

He sighed, resigned. He had long-since ditched his seaweed lavalava and was wearing a much more appropriate tweed wrap, dyed purple, with small yellow flowers painted on it. His favorite colors, he had told her. He pulled the left side above his knee and pointed to a tattoo of a young girl with her hair in a bun Moana had never seen before, holding a smaller mini-Maui by the ear. "I met her a long time ago."

Moana was shocked silent, staring at the immobile depiction of her grandmother. Without thinking, she reached out and touched the inked woman's heart. She gasped as her grandmother moved at her touch, but realized it was Maui's thigh twitching.

"How did you meet her?"

"The same way I met you. On that beach. She was worse at wayfinding than you, if you can believe it. She hadn't eaten for weeks when she washed up. Said she'd run out of her month's supply of fruit three weeks prior, and had survived off of sheer willpower and a miracle. Let me tell you, though. This frail, barely nothing of a little girl stood up on her tiptoes, grabbed me by the ear, and told me if I didn't get my ass on that canoe that she would personally see to it that I never walked straight again." He laughed, though there was a sad note to his voice.

"When I told her my fish hook was what gave me my powers and that it had been lost to the sea, she asked me how I planned to be useful without it. 'A demigod without his demigod powers? What are you then, other than a man who can't die?' We sailed for Te Fiti regardless, under her theory that Te Ka wouldn't wait around Te Fiti for the heart to return. That he was probably looking for me."

Moana listened on, not realizing that she hadn't moved her hand from Maui's thigh. Her fingers were spread, covering the tattoo of her grandmother holding Maui by the ear, entranced.

"We got right there to Te Fiti and...and it didn't last long. He--or she, rather, excuse me--threw a ball of lava at us, and I jumped in front of it to shield Tala. She and I had grown close over our voyage, though never close enough for her to stop reminding me that I was as useful as an empty coconut shell without my hook. The waves sent me reeling back to my prison,m and your grandmother...well I believed her to be dead until I saw her spirit."

"Her SPIRIT visited you? When? What did she say?"

Maui chuckled, resting his head on the thatch wall. His long, shining black hair flowing fluidly to rest on his back. Outside, the wind roared, bringing with it a large clap of thunder. Moana was too fixated on Maui to react.

"When I left you, after Te Ka threw us across the ocean, I landed on a cliff face far away from you. I meant to keep flying, but something...someone...made me stop. I had gone back to my human form to talk to mini-Maui when I saw a bright, shining sting ray beneath the surface of the ocean, and before I could wonder about it, I felt someone yanking my ear like they were trying to take it off. "Maui, shapeshifter, demigod of the wind and sea. That is my grand daughter, Moana of Montenui, and you will accompany her to face Te Ka, or by the gods I will send every spirit, every creature, every demon of Lolotai to hunt for you and when they find you, I will watch as your body is burned, sliced, pulled apart, and hung to drain like the pig you are."

Moana winced, and she realized that just because her grandmother had always spoken kindly to her, did not mean she was a kind-spoken person to everyone. Tala was a person with may facets, same as anyone. Moana had only ever known her as a grandmother.

"'You're too late, Moana is already halfway to Montenui by now. No way she'd face Te Ka alone.' I told her, stupidly I might add. 'That's where you're wrong, shapeshifter,' she told me. 'Moana is speeding towards the demon as we speak, set to right your wrong, and return the heart of Te Fiti to its rightful place! If she dies, it is on YOUR hands.' And then poof. Like a breeze, or a flash of lightning, she was gone."

Moana smiled, subtly at first. But then her face split into a cheek-eating grin and tears spilled from her tawny eyes. "She came to me too. She told me to go home but...but I wouldn't. She must have sent for you because she couldn't protect me herself."

"Oh, she tried."

"What do you mean?"

"Te Ka threw a lava ball at you as you were rock-climbing to return the heart, while your back was turned, and a large wave of water reached up to block it. It wasn't the ocean at all. It was Tala."

Moana's cheeks were wet with tears as she thought back to that day, and her chest swelled with pride all over again. "Why didn't she visit me all the way back to Montenui? I would have loved to hear this from her!"

Maui shook his head, "She couldn't. Te Ka's magic killed her."

"Killed her? Killed her spirit?"

"Not exactly. When a spirit leaves the spirit realm, they are susceptible to magic. All forms of it. They have to be careful. They can be wiped from existence if they are caught up in the wrong stuff. Your grandmother sacrificed herself for you. And the Gods, well. They can be pretty merciful. They allowed her


	6. Chapter 6

Moana glanced up to see Maui just as his soles reached the sand, trudging pensively towards her, his head down and his eyes lost in thought. She noticed his hook wasn't beside him and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Did it get lost in the storm?" She called out, worriedly. He looked up, his mouth in an 'o' of surprise, like he'd forgotten she would be there.

"No, no. Just didn't feel like bringing it." He told her as he stepped onto the canoe, not meeting her eyes. She snorted. "Please. Just this morning you were swiniging it around like some kind of wild man, telling the kids that it was 'more a part of you than your own two arms.' I really wish you'd brought it, I like feeding Iguana Maui fruit. Speaking of fruit, where is our food?"

He looked down at each of his empty hands and cursed, "Sorry. Slipped my mind between here and there. I'll go back--"

"No, don't worry about it. There's a whole grove of fruit right over there. We can just grab whatever we can carry and fill the compartments. A light lunch will make dinner much more satisfying." She smiled at him, trying to ease whatever was weighing so heavily on him that it made his shoulders slump. He smiled back, and mini-Maui rubbed Maui's chest affectionately.

Once their canoe was filled to the brim with nuts, berries, and coconuts (for water), Maui pushed the canoe into the tide, Moana standing proudly on the stern. She closed her eyes and let the salty air blow through her hair, fluttering her clothes and and permeating her pores. She took a deep breath, and felt at peace. Home. This was home.

She looked back to see Maui sitting down on the bow, staring hard at the Ocean, as if communicating telepathic anger straight into the current. Moana walked in front of him and fell to her knees, taking his large hands in her small ones. "Maui...what's wrong?"

He shook his head a fraction of an inch, not looking at her. She did the only thing she could think and grabbed his ear, pulling his face right to hers. His eyes widened and they fell directly into her gaze, mesmerized. Unable to look away.

"Ow."

"What. Is. Wrong. You can tell me anything, Maui."

Maui was silent, just staring into Moana's shining brown eyes like he was looking at the sun.

"Maui!"

"Alright! Alright, my hook is broken."

"I already knew that. It still work--"

"No, broken broken. Like broken. Like when we faced Te Ka."

"What? What did you do to it?"

"I didn't do--never mind. I know why it's broken, and there's nothing I can do to fix it."

"We can ask Te Fiti for another one."

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because this time is a little different."

"How so? Because it wasn't broken by a lava monster?"

Maui snorted. "It's never been broken by a lava monster."

He stopped in his tracks as Moana blinked, and he was finally able to tear his eyes from hers, with some effort. She fell back onto her heels and folded her hands in her lap.

"Do you not...remember...?"

"Of course I remember. I may be thousands of years old, but I will always have the body and mind of a 30 year old. I think. GAH, just, never mind. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Moana scooted back, giving Maui more space.

"Okay...well, you hungry?"

"Not particularly."

They sat in silence for a moment, both of them peering around, neither steering the boat. A wave of saltwater raised up curiously, tilting its 'head' to the side. Moana smiled at it, but it seemed to be looking at Maui.

Unceremoniously, it spat a jet of water at Maui's face. Maui didn't budge, but mini-Maui tapped his foot, gesturing between Maui and Moana, like he was impatiently waiting for Maui to tell her something.

"Is there something I need to know?"

"No."

"Everyone else seems to think so."

"Everyone else is a tattoo and a body of water. You sound crazy."

Moana pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms patiently...knowing damn well he was stalling.

Maui sighed in defeat, standing up and turning his back on Moana, looking out at the horizon behind them, where Montenui was still visible.

"Te Ka never broke my hook. It broke before it even made impact with her. Both times."

Moana sat silently, listening. Her arms still folded across her chest, just to give her something to do with her hands.

"Remember, how I told you...years ago...that to become a demigod you have to have a selfless heart?"

Moana nodded, though Maui could not see.

"Well, I did something very selfish. So self-centered and arrogant, the Gods took away my powers. Te Fiti replaced my hook because I told her I would not be joining you in Montenui. Once I considered doing so again this year, my hook began to crumble. Piece by piece, so small and insignificant no one would notice. But I did. I noticed my shape-shifting being less fluid, my hawk form had bad eyesight, my shark form, dull teeth. I've been losing my powers for months, Moana. But I couldn't bring myself to leave."

"Leave...Montenui? Is it the island's fault?"

"No. Not the island's fault."

"Is it...my fault?"

The question hung in there air like turpentine, thick and acrid, making Moana's skin crawl as time seemed to slow down to a near stop. Even the ocean was still. Moana's eyes filled with silent tears, and she closed her eyes against the onslaught, willing them to disappear.

She felt a large finger wipe a drop from her cheek, and she turned her head, keeping her eyes closed. Maui tucked his finger under her chin and angled her face up, forcing her to open her eyes.

"No. It isn't your fault. If anything I blame your pride, your strength, and your charisma. I blame your leadership, and your ability to learn foreign tasks quickly and effortlessly. I blame your endless love and loyalty to your people, and your beautiful, beautiful soul."

"Maui...what?"

"I blame all of those things, for making me fall in love with you."

Thunder clapped above them, ripping them both from their reverie. They looked up just as rain began to fall.

"Where did this come from? I didn't see any storms when we left!" Moana shouted above the wind, pulling the sheet to turn them around and sail back home. Maui stepped forward, putting his hand on her arm to stop her. "This isn't a storm."

"What?" She shouted, "I can't hear--"

"Get down."

"What?"

"GET DOWN!"

Maui pushed her suddenly, sending her flailing right off the side of the canoe. The water was choppy, and despite the water in her ears she could hear the heavy rain hitting the ocean's surface. She came up for air, only to be pushed down again by a swell. As if the ocean was telling her to stay down.

Suddenly, as if it had never happened at all, the rain stopped. The ocean lifted her above the water, holding her above the canoe where Maui lied on his front, unmoving. Smoke wisping from what appeared to be a burn mark on his back where the tattoo of his mother tossing him to the ocean once was.

"MAUI!" She screamed, kicking and paddling, trying to get out of the water swell that held fast to her. It gently set her onto the wood and she ran to Maui, shaking his shoulders.

"Maui? Maui, can you hear me? Wake up. Wake up! This isn't funny. You just got struck by lightning, how could that hurt you! Come on, please wak--MAUI!"

He coughed, opening his eyes slightly to find Moana. "I'm alright, Curly. Just a minor burn. Nothing I can't take."

He coughed again, spitting out blood.

"Maui! What happened? Are you okay?"

"Mo, I'm fine. See? Breathing. Heart beating. Teeth radiant. Fine."

She was not all convinced, and stood up to help pull him to his feet. He wobbled a little, caught his balance, and straightened. "See? Fine. Right little buddy?"

He looked down to his tattoo of mini-Maui, palm forward for a high five.

Mini-Maui stayed still, holding up the sky. Unblinking.


End file.
